Break
by ghost dream
Summary: Iris certainly had a different taste for things. Slight Cilan/Iris. Oneshot.


So this is uh, my first fic. I've written for a while but I've never made fanfiction before, so... yeah. Critiques are welcome, but bear in mind that this was kind of a half-assed attempt from me. I pretty much typed this entire thing for, like, thirty minutes. 8|

Cilan/Iris is a pairing that I've been massively interested in after I watched only a few Best Wishes episodes. Cilan is so hilariously camp and bishounen that it's so tempting to pair him up with the wild girl. And it's great to see that I'm evidently not an alone fan of them; ff and pixiv seem to like this pairing as well. :]

So anyway... Pokemon belongs to Nintendo.

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><p>It was almost like a ritual for the trio. Usually taking place in-between cities, preferably a route. It always started with a very audible growl. After that, a red-faced, chuckling Ash would then go on to proclaim that he was hungry. It's not like the others minded; most of the time they were quite famished themselves. After all of the exercise that was induced by the sheer act of walking for hours straight, it should go on without mentioning.<p>

However, Iris would sometimes be frustrated by this ritual. In a word, she was a raw individual. She never understood the extravagance that was virtually a necessity in today's world. Cars, cellphones, restaurants... pretty much every single new and complicated addition to this generation. She never understood their appeal, and probably never will.

So she could only be a bit disappointed when Ash and Cilan would casually dismiss her idea of what was delicious. What was wrong with a nice, easily-assembled bowl of berries? They were sweet and good-tasting, right? Why should that refreshing simplicity be ruined by putting it in an oven? The dark-skinned girl could not ignore her offended feelings whenever her ideas were rejected. Couldn't she be a little bit more, well... approved? It was like Cilan was an oblivious, well-meaning seducer for Ash when it came to cooking. Or maybe Ash was that easily amused. What a kid.

"Cilan... Is the food done yet?" Ash moaned as he leaned further against the tree he and Iris were sitting near. Speak of the devil.

"Not yet," Cilan replied from his kitchen space, not looking back to see him. "Wait another 15 minutes or so."

When she heard Ash groan, Iris decided to interject, "Don't be so impatient Ash, or that's childish."

He could only scoff, "Whatever."

She didn't respond. Instead, she returned to her thoughts again as she stared at the smoke emitting from Cilan's grill. Perhaps it was time to step out of her boundaries?, said the wildest part of her mind. How about she try to understand today's world, and try to cook something herself? She almost immediately dismissed the idea, but she gave the chance to think about it for a while. Really, why not? It could be worth a shot, and maybe she wouldn't stray too far from her ideals. She could make something that could be delicious not only for her friends, but also herself.

In a second's haste, she stood up and declared loudly, "I'm going to make something too!"

Ash only gave her a disinterested look. "Good luck." There he was again, mocking her because Cilan's cooking was oh-so-much better.

"W-whatever!" she spoke exasperatedly. "It's about time we had something different instead of having his cooking all the time!" She pointed firmly at Cilan, her other hand resting on her hip. Cilan briefly paused to turn around and look at her. He characteristically smiled at her instead of looking offended at her claim.

"It's wonderful that you're trying it out Iris!" he exclaimed in a supporting voice. Why is he so nice? It almost made her feel bad for calling him out. "Do you need help?"

"I'm fine," she responded quickly, her goal clear. "I'm making my own exclusive recipe. And this time you're all going to like it!"

"A bowl of berries again?" chimed in Ash.

Her face was almost turning red. "S-shut up!" she yelled as she stomped angrily towards a nearby bush, before calling out, "Come on Axew!"

The dragon-type, who was playing with Pikachu not too far from their trainers, immediately responded to her call and quickly scampered over towards her. It hopped into her ridiculously roomy hair before she ran into the forrested area, completely disappearing from sight.

xo**x**ox

"Um... So, what do you think?"

"It's...," Cilan began slowly, but was eventually interrupted by Ash.

"Different," he commented awkwardly.

Iris could only feel dejected as she stared down the recipe she had made in front of her. It was definitely different from a typical fruit bowl, though not by much. Well, never mind. The only single difference between it and a fruit bowl was that it was a fruit plate. She made the attempt to slice the fruit in a slightly professional manner. The slices circled around the plate in a 'C' shape. The only single addition to it was a few handfuls of nuts that Axew had found along her search. The recipe was by no means ill-put together. After her declaration of making something radically different, though, it was just... well, underwhelming.

She just had a raw taste that was too much.

Iris looked at the ground defeated. What she just made was hardly considered a recipe. "Just say it guys," she said shamefully. "I failed." At that moment her confidence was dwindling. She felt Axew clinging onto her leg, giving her a concerned look as it gave out a small cry.

"No," she heard Cilan's voice above her. She looked up to see him looking at her, smiling. "I was going to say that I personally think it was a great attempt on your first try."

"Y-you can't be serious," the indigo-haired girl was too embarrassed to believe him.

"Oh, but I am!" he said excitedly. "It's different, but it looks quite healthy. I commend you for designing the slices that way. And I must say that the nuts were a nice flavoring!" He commented rather earnestly about her project, so she eventually felt flattered by his words. However...

"But will you guys eat it?" Iris frowned. To prove her point she glanced at the table behind the pair, where Ash had already sat and hungrily chowed down on Cilan's cooking. Wasn't that stuff still hot?

"Perhaps Ash won't," Cilan briefly glanced over at the table before turning back to her. His hand rested on his heart as he spoke, "But I most certainly will."

At that moment, his bright, beaming smile towards her was too much for the young girl to bear. Even through her dark skin she was sure that he was able to see a faint red tint painted on her cheeks. She knew that Cilan was an overall charming and gentlemanly character, but she never really thought too deep about those aspects of him until this moment. He had the most amazing way to make her feel so... Oh, what's the word? Happy? Appreciated?

... Accepted?

"Iris?" Cilan's smile ceased to exist on his face. Instead, it was replaced with a worried frown as he examined her. "Are you alright?"

What should she say now? She'd just been standing there speechless in the past fifteen seconds. "Y-yeah," she began quietly. "I'm fine. Thanks Cilan." Well it's a start, though it could have been done without the stuttering.

"That's good," The young, green-haired man smiled again, and Iris was surprised to feel herself being relieved at this. "Shall we eat?"

Now there was a smile on her face too. "Yeah."

Iris certainly had a different taste for things. Interestingly enough, taste-obsessed Cilan seemed to embrace hers.

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><p>WOW THAT WAS CHEESY. So yeah R&amp;R if you'd like kthx 3<p> 


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